Allentown school board embraces student uniforms starting in September

View full sizeThe Louis E. Dieruff High School in Allentown.Photo Courtesy Allentown School District

The Allentown School District could be on the road to implementing school uniforms by next school year, possibly across all grade levels.

A school board committee voted 8-1 Thursday to accept a recommendation that uniforms be implemented in Allentown starting in September.

School uniforms in Allentown have been discussed for nearly a decade, but talks have grown more serious in recent years as support for the idea grew stronger among both parents and students.

"The community has spoken, and the time is now to move forward on this," said board President Robert Smith Jr. "It'll help the students, it'll help the test scores and it'll help the safety of our schools."

When the study began, the committee was considering starting with elementary students in 2013, then the middle schools in 2014, and finally the two high schools in 2015.

Susan Lozada, executive director of community and student services, said support for uniforms has been so strong among both families and staff that they are now considering applying it all students right away.

The full school board will formally vote on uniforms on Jan. 24. The independent committee will then present an implementation plan to the board for consideration next month.

Lozada said she hopes uniforms will be available for parents to purchase by May.

"It's not in and of itself a silver bullet," Mayo said. "But collectively, it's part of a comprehensive strategy for setting a very serious environment for learning and for safety."

Lozada said student dress is about more than how a student looks, but also impacts the climate and culture of a school.

"What we're doing is removing the distractions that happen with the fashion competition, with the socioeconomic status, with the gang symbolism that may be happening with some of the students," Lozada said.

Mayo said uniforms could create a sense of camaraderie among students and reduce instances of bullying or mocking a student's economic status based on their clothes.

Christina Milburn, a Dieruff High School senior, recalled an instance when a student was bullied for wearing "knock off" shoes from the store Payless.

"I think it would make it so much easier for every student if we had uniforms," Milburn said. "It would be easier for everybody."

Kim Burke, a William Allen High School teacher who sits on the uniforms committee, said a reduction in baggy clothes could reduce instances like earlier this week, when a student brought a concealed handgun into the high school.

Mayo said the district would see further safety improvements by improving student attitudes, and that uniforms will help officials quickly identify non-students who try to enter school buildings.

Lozada said the district saw 882 high school dress code violations last school year, as well as 209 at the middle schools and 18 at the elementary schools.

Board member Julie Ambrose cast the sole dissenting vote against uniforms, not because she opposes the concept, but because she feels the implementation plan should be ready before the board grants approval.